Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo would be the first to tell you his Spartans haven't played like the best team in the country the past two games.Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

To be the best, you've got to beat the best, right?

Well, not according to the 14 voters in the Associated Press men's basketball Top 25 poll who decided not to rank Michigan State No. 1 on their ballots this week.

The Spartans, with their 78-74 victory over then-No. 1 Kentucky on Nov 12 at the United Center, ascended to the top spot in the AP poll for the first time since early 2001.

In all fairness to those who didn't vote Michigan State No. 1, the Spartans looked like anything but a top-ranked team in last Friday's 62-53 victory over Columbia at Breslin Center.

Further, as Coach Tom Izzo pointed out in another somewhat sluggish 82-67 win over Portland on Monday night, Michigan State can't put bodies in its arena and is showing the nation and potential recruits empty seats with each televised matchup.

Breaking down the voting, the Spartans are ranked no lower than No. 3 on any of the ballots, and there were three voters who placed them there: Aaron Brenner (Charleston, S.C. Post & Courier), Randy Rosetta (New Orleans Times Picayune) and Tom Keegan (Lawrence, KS., Journal World).

Michigan State's biggest jump in the poll came from John Werner of the Waco Tribune-Herald, who moved the Spartans up from No. 5 to No. 1.

The Spartans dropped on only one ballot, that of Kansas writer Keegan who moved them from No. 3 to No. 2.